Student fee status
As a student registered at UCL you are required to pay the tuition fee appropriate to your programme and to your status as a UK, an Overseas or a Channel Islands/Isle of Man student.
Special rates for EU/EEA/Swiss national students apply if you started your studies no later than 31stJuly 2021.
Find out about:
- How your fee status is assessed
- Eligibility for UK rates
- Appeal your fee status
- Change your status to ‘home’ after the start of your programme
Fee status assessment
Your fee status is determined in accordance with regulations published by the UK government. The relevant legislation is the Education (Fees and Awards) (England) Regulations 2007 (SI 2007, No. 779) and subsequent amendments, as approved by Act of Parliament.
UCL’s advice below is based upon the relevant legislation and amendments cited above. Updated guidance may be provided on this page from time to time. You are advised to check here regularly.
The assessment of fee status is communicated via UCL’s formal offer of admission. By accepting UCL’s offer of admission you agree to pay the fees stated in UCL’s offer. In cases where an assessment of fee status has not been possible, or if the assessment is being queried, a fee status questionnaire will be sent to you. This must be returned within three months. Failure to return the questionnaire or provide any requested documentation will result in you being classified as Overseas for fee purposes.
The following UCL departments are responsible for making the assessment of your fee status:
| Programme | Assessor |
|---|---|
| Undergraduate programmes in the Faculty of Laws | Faculty of Laws |
| All other undergraduate and Initial Teacher Training programmes | Undergraduate & ITE Admissions, Student Recruitment and Admissions |
| All graduate programmes | Graduate Admissions, Student Recruitment and Admissions |
Students beginning studies from August 2021
Eligibility for UK rates
This advice is provided on the basis of the relevant legislation and subsequent amendments and may be subject to change as and when updates are provided by the UK government. Please see UKCISA website for further details.
To be eligible to pay fees at the UK rate, you must normally be a British citizen (or in specified cases the family member of a UK national or a person who is settled in the UK), be ordinarily resident in the UK on the first day of the first academic year of your programme and have been ordinarily resident within the UK, the Republic of Ireland (in some cases), the specified British overseas territories or the Channel Islands/Isle of Man (the “Islands”) for the three year period before the first day of the first academic year of your programme.
This is calculated as below:
| Programme start date between | First day of first year of academic programme |
|---|---|
| 01 August and 31 December | 01 September |
| 01 January and 31 March | 01 January |
| 01 April and 30 June | 01 April |
| 01 July and 31 July | 01 July |
Absences in connection with temporary employment or education are permitted. If the purpose of your ordinary residence in the UK, Republic of Ireland or the Islands during the relevant period has been wholly or mainly to receive full-time education, you will be ineligible for UK fee status.
If you are an EU national on the first day of the first academic year of the programme and benefit from protected rights under the EU Withdrawal Agreement, you will be eligible to pay fees at the UK rate. This includes EU nationals who are “settled” or “pre-settled” in the UK in accordance with the EU settlement scheme and relevant family members of such persons. You must have been ordinarily resident in the territory comprising the United Kingdom, the European Economic Area, Switzerland and the overseas territories throughout the three-year period preceding the first day of the first academic year of the programme. With specific exceptions, that residence must not have been wholly or mainly to receive full-time education.
A number of other categories of student are eligible to pay fees at the UK rate provided they meet all the residence requirements applicable to that category. These include those who, on the first day of the first academic year of their programme, are:
- Persons who are settled in the UK within the meaning of the Immigration Act 1971 or who have settled status under the EU Withdrawal Agreement (or who are otherwise within personal scope of the citizens’ rights provisions).
- Persons with “protected rights” under the EU Withdrawal Agreement who are EU nationals or family members of EU nationals.
- Irish citizens living in the UK, Ireland or Islands (in accordance with the Common Travel Area arrangement), specified British overseas territories or, in some cases, in the EEA, Switzerland, or EU overseas territories.
- Refugees and their family members that are recognised by the UK government.
- Persons granted stateless leave in the UK and their family members.
- Persons granted section 67 leave, Calais leave to remain, indefinite leave as a victim of domestic abuse or violence or indefinite leave to remain as a bereaved partner
- Persons granted Humanitarian Protection in the UK and their family members.
- Persons granted leave under one of the Afghan schemes and their family members.
- Evacuated or assisted British nationals from Afghanistan.
- Persons granted leave under one of the Ukraine schemes and their family members.
- EEA or Swiss nationals who are workers in the UK and benefit from protected rights under the EU Withdrawal Agreement, EEA EFTA Separation Agreement or Swiss Citizens’ Rights Agreement respectively. This includes EEA and Swiss nationals who are “settled” or “pre-settled” within the UK in accordance with the EU settlement scheme, Irish citizens and relevant family members of such persons. There is also provision for EEA and Swiss nationals who are “frontier workers”.
- UK nationals and relevant family members and persons settled in the UK who have been living in the EEA, Switzerland or EU overseas territories – subject to further residence requirements (please contact Admissions for further information) and who are starting a programme before 1st January 2028.
- Persons who are settled in the UK (and their family members) and have been resident in the specified British overseas territories.
- UK nationals and relevant family members who have resident status in Gibraltar as granted by the government of Gibraltar and who are starting a programme before 1st January 2028.
- EU nationals and relevant family members who have a right of residence in Gibraltar arising under the EU withdrawal agreement and who are starting a programme before 1st January 2028..
- A person with protected rights who is the child of a Swiss national.
- Children of Turkish workers in the UK who held such status on 31st December 2020 and where both the child and worker parent were resident in the UK on 31st December 2020.
- Those with “long residence” in the UK (the precise requirements for this will vary depending on whether you are under or over 18 on the first day of the first academic year of the programme).
You may obtain further details from Access and Admissions in Student and Registry Services, by consulting the government regulations or by seeking independent advice from UKCISA: The UK Council for International Student Affairs.
Information for students who began their studies in July 2021 or before
Appeal your fee status
Once UCL gives its definitive assessment, which will be outlined in either your offer letter or correspondence following the completion of a fee status questionnaire, you have three months to appeal in writing.
Appeals are handled by the Director of Access and Admissions who will communicate the appeal decision to you in writing. The final right of appeal is to the Registrar and must be made within three months of the initial appeal decision.
If the fee status is undetermined at the start of your studies, UCL policy is to invoice at the Overseas fee rate. Should you subsequently be re-assessed as eligible for UK fees (or EU fees for those who started their studies in July 2021 or before), the appropriate refund of fees will be made.
Change your status to UK after the start of your programme
UCL’s fee status assessment remains in place for the duration of the programme with the exception of the certain circumstances, including the following:
- You or a relevant family member obtains UK nationality and you have been ordinarily resident in the UK, EEA, Switzerland or overseas territories for the three year period before the first day of the first academic year of the programme and meet other specific residence requirements (please contact Admissions for further information).
- You, or in some cases, your spouse/civil partner, parent or parent of your spouse/civil partner becomes covered by one of the special leave categories such as refugee status or Humanitarian Protection. This status must be obtained in the UK. Additional restrictions apply if you are seeking UK fee status as the spouse/civil partner, child or child of a spouse/civil partner.
Please contact Admissions immediately if you believe you fall into one of these categories to request that a review of your fee status be undertaken.
If you are eligible to have your fee status reassessed whilst studying at UCL this will be from the start of your next academic year, not from the start of your programme.